"When families and educators in New Orleans joined together to establish the Morris Jeff Community School, they had a clear vision for the kind of world they wanted to create for their children, starting in the preschool years.

They believed that all of their children could learn more if they went to school together. In their vision, children from families of limited means and those from more affluent families would attend school together, entirely by their own choice. The three pre-K classes were strong enough to attract families who could pay, who made up about a third of the program, but open to all — with enough interest to drive a waiting list, both fee-paying and not, and nearly equal proportions of African-American and white students, plus a small proportion of students who were Hispanic or of mixed race."